The lives of residents in northern mountainous provinces have been disrupted due to the continuous heavy snowfall.

In Lao Cai province alone, an unusual snowfall early this week causedan estimated loss of around 10 billion VND (470,000 USD), said Directorof the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ma VanTrung.

Rare heavy snows damaged nearly 900ha of vegetables, while 60 buffaloes and cows died due to frost, he said.

Meanwhile, 3,000 sq.m of net housing covering orchids and tomatoes inSa Pa district were destroyed, and a house was damaged by falling soiland rocks.

Giang Seo Ga, a resident in Sa Pa district,said the snow fell too quickly and continued for a long time, whilefamilies had not planned to bring their cattle to lower areas to avoidcold weather and had not yet stored feed for them.

"It is now too late. I have lost some buffaloes used for breeding purposes," he said.

Snow also breached an electricity grid along Highway 4D, causingwidespread electricity disruptions in some districts and estimatedlosses of 2 billion VND (94,760 USD).

Unusualsnowfalls have also attracted some 5,000 sightseers to Sa Pa from everycorner of the country, causing traffic congestion over the past fewdays. Thick ice also blocked a 10km section of Highway 4D linking LaoCai and Lai Chau provinces, though traffic resumed on December 18.

Freezing temperatures also forced tens of thousands of pre-school andprimary school students in Lao Cai and Lai Chau to stay home.

Director Trung said authorities will provide financial aid for localpeople to recover from damage caused by the snow and guide them to adoptmeasures to protect cattle against cold weather.

Also, as cold temperatures dropped to under 10 degrees Celsius in thenorthern region, many children and elderly residents were hospitaliseddue to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in recent days, doctorssaid.

The number of children hospitalised withrespiratory problems caused by the cold weather has increased, accordingto Nguyen Tien Dung, chief of the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital'sPediatric Department.

"Bach Mai Hospital'sPediatric Ward has been receiving 200-300 children every day, with suchsymptoms as coughs and high fevers, which is 20 percent higher than onnormal days," he said.

A lack of knowledge byparents, as many parents thought their children were suffering fromcommon illnesses, caused them to be late in seeking treatment for theirchildren, he added.

Meanwhile, the extreme cold hasalso sent hundreds of elderly people with pulmonary problems tohospitals, said Nguyen Trung Anh, a doctor at the National GeriatricHospital.

The hospital reported receiving 300-400elderly patients, which was two to three times higher than normal. Problems reported by elderly residents included respiratory, bloodpressure and cardiovascular issues.

Also, doctorswarned the elderly not to go out at night or in the early morning duringthe cold weather and to continue their indoor exercises.

They also warned parents that if their children have symptoms, such ascoughs, high fevers, or quickened breathing, they should bring theirchildren to a heathcare centre for check-ups and treatment.

On December 16, temperatures plunged to below 5 degrees Celsius acrossLao Cai province. Particularly, the mercury dropped to minus 3 degreesCelsius in Sa Pa, coupled with rain and snow.

Snowfall also started to cover Hoang Lien pass in Lai Chau province beginning December 14.

The temperature will continue dropping to below 2 degrees Celsius innorthern mountainous provinces in the next few days, coupled withhoarfrost, according to the National Hydro-meteorological ForecastCentre.-VNA